In the past a number of different procedures have been used to attempt to reduce snoring by reducing the laxity of the tissue in the soft palate and uvula areas. These procedures include surgical methods such as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) with cold steel, RF uvulopalatopharyngolasty using radio frequency, laser assisted uvula platoplasty (LUPP), using relatively extensive laser incisions, injection snoreplasty with a sclerotherapy agent and laser soft palate stiffening with implantable woven inserts. U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,870 describes systems for ablating and removing uvula and soft palate tissue for reducing snoring.
Embodiments of the system and method described herein provide for different anti-snoring treatments which are minimally-invasive, have low intervention risk, can be performed in an office setting, and provide for significantly decreased morbidity.